Pleasure craft such as motor boats, yachts of various sizes, sail boats and the like, as a rule, are brought in bow first whether at a dock or at a beach or other natural docking area. This is because the bow has the least draught since the stern is usually outfitted with a propeller, keel, rudder or the like that extends some distance beneath the bottom of the boat. Moreover, the risk of damage is less because the boat's bow is usually reinforced and stronger than its stern.
Most pleasure craft are provided with ladders at the back for boarding from the water. No permanent ladder is provided at the front of the boat since it would interfere with the flow of water over the bow. Sometimes a loose ladder is used but there is normally little space on board for storing loose articles. Hence the passenger must choose between going off the back and getting wet or jumping off the front and risking injury. The bow of most pleasure craft is quite high above the water so that getting on from the bow usually requires some assistance.
Various platforms have been proposed for attachment to the bow of a boat for use as boarding steps. These devices have not been entirely satisfactory, however, because there has been no way to fold them up when they are not in use for boarding and they interfere with the flow of water over the bow of the boat. In addition, not all of the boarding platforms are adaptable to boats of different types. This is important since the slope, height and the like of boat hulls varies widely.